PRO-GREEN ACADEMICS WORRY TAIWAN IS BEING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 000416 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL CH TW SUBJECT: PRO-GREEN ACADEMICS WORRY TAIWAN IS BEING IRREVERSIBLY DRAWN INTO CHINA'S ORBIT ¶1. (SBU) Summary: A number of Taiwan and international participants at a recent conference on the 30th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) expressed concern that the rise of China, Taiwan's growing economic dependence on the PRC, and cross-Strait detente are drawing Taiwan increasingly into China's orbit. Growing PRC influence will limit Taiwan's future political options, they argued. While several of the mostly pro-Green academics generally agreed that the U.S. has played an important balancing role in maintaining cross-Strait stability, they worried about the possibility that U.S. support for an "autonomous Taiwan" might waver if cross-Strait ties continue to warm and domestic support in Taiwan for defense spending decreases. Director Young stressed that long-term U.S. support for Taiwan, based on the TRA, will continue, and he suggested that people in Taiwan, a successful democracy, should have confidence they can shape the cross-Strait relationship in a positive way. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Academia Sinica's Institute of European and American Studies hosted a two-day international conference March 27-28 on the "Taiwan Relations Act Entering its 30th Anniversary: Continuities, Changes, and Challenges." Many of the conference participants tended to take a pro-Green stance, which is generally critical of the PRC and the Ma administration's policies to enhance cross-Strait relations. This cable summarizes some of the main points emphasized by participants in the conference. Beijing Softens Cross-Strait Approach -------------- ¶3. (SBU) A number of conference participants predicted that the warming of cross-Strait relations will work in Beijing's favor. In their opinion, PRC influence on Taiwan has increased under the Ma administration, limiting Taiwan's political options. While China's objective (unification) has not changed, its approach has become more flexible. Beijing, which is now attempting to "win hearts and minds" on Taiwan, has shifted its rhetoric from emphasizing that Taiwan is an "inalienable part of China" to a softer expression that "both Taiwan and the Mainland belong to one China." ¶4. (SBU) Beijing has an interest in cooperating with the Ma administration to pursue its united front strategy, East-West Center Senior Fellow Denny Roy suggested. However, he was not confident PRC leaders could move swiftly enough to take advantage of the opportunity to win over the Taiwan people. Beijing will be concerned about potential domestic political challenges if it provides an opening that might allow Taiwan to "escape," he explained. Despite its softer approach to Taiwan itself, Beijing continues to try to de-internationalize the Taiwan issue, portraying it as a question that must be resolved by the Chinese on both sides of the Strait, conference participants observed. Worries About U.S. Support for Taiwan -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Some participants believed that the U.S. has played the role of a balancer in the U.S.-PRC-Taiwan triangular relationship, constraining actions by either Beijing or Taiwan that threatened to upset the status quo. However, Taiwan's democratization and China's rise have made it more difficult for the U.S. to play this balancing role, cautioned former MAC Chairman Joseph Wu. A number of scholars argued that Washington and Beijing had moved toward "co-management" of the Taiwan issue after the DPP's Chen Shui-bian was elected president in 2000. As cross-Strait ties continue to improve, some worried, Taiwan may be pulled closer into China's orbit, resulting in "de facto unification." In such a case, they suggested, Taiwan may become marginalized and the TRA irrelevant. ¶6. (SBU) One academic questioned Taiwan's strategic military value to the U.S. in the age of ICBMs, arguing that the U.S. no longer needed Taiwan as an "unsinkable aircraft carrier." Others countered that Taiwan's location is an asset, as it is TAIPEI 00000416 002 OF 003 the only place to effectively monitor and possibly check China's military rise. Growing Chinese assertiveness and increasing cross-Strait economic and military imbalance in China's favor may prompt the U.S. to reassess its longer term objectives and increase its involvement in the cross-Strait issue, a conference participant suggested. ¶7. (SBU) Citing the rising economic and military power of the PRC, several other scholars worried that warming cross-Strait ties and the increased U.S. need for China's cooperation might cause a wavering in U.S. support for an "autonomous Taiwan." Although President Ma has put forth a realistic "hard ROC" strategy to address the growing PLA threat, cross-Strait detente will decrease Taiwan's threat perception, which in turn will reduce public support for defense spending. Moreover, Hong Kong University Professor Richard Hu suggested, cross-Strait detente and the perceived threat reduction could provide an opening for Beijing to urge the U.S. to decrease arms sales to Taiwan. Beijing's goal is to establish a clear military advantage across the Strait, he added. What is the Status Quo? -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The meaning of the cross-Strait status quo varies greatly, not only between Taiwan, the US, and China, but also in Taiwan itself, Academia Sinica's Lin Cheng-yi observed. While the U.S. definition of status quo is deliberately vague, China's definition has been clear and consistent: There is one China and Taiwan is a part of that China. In Taiwan itself, the DPP version of the status quo defines Taiwan as a de facto sovereign state, while the KMT views Taiwan as a part of the Republic of China established in ¶1912. According to Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) polling, most people in Taiwan support a continuation of the status quo and would say that Taiwan is neither part of the PRC nor an independent sovereign state. ¶9. (SBU) Varied interpretations of the status quo are competing for public support in Taiwan, and so discussions of cross-Strait detente and Taiwan's future remain mired in domestic political differences. Referring to these differences, one conference discussant characterized the situation as "one China and two Taiwans." Taiwan would increase its leverage vis-a-vis the mainland if it could speak with one united voice, said National Sun Yat-sen University Professor Lin Wen-cheng. However, frequent emotional arguments about cross-Strait issues prevent the development of a unified view, weakening Taiwan's position in dealing with the PRC. Democracy and Taiwan Identity -------------- ¶10. (SBU) While democratization has pulled Taiwan away from China, economic and other factors have served to draw the two sides of the Strait closer, Hong Kong Baptist University Professor Jean-Pierre Cabestan observed. These contradictory trends have contributed to domestic political tensions and constrained the political options available to Taiwan leaders in their conduct of cross-Strait negotiations and relations with the U.S. The difference in political systems across the Strait serves as a strong argument for the preservation of the status quo. Although cross-Strait interactions are serving to improve mutual understanding, at the same time Taiwanese identity is increasingly taking on political in addition to cultural connotations. U.S. Support will Continue, Democracy an Important Asset -------------- -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Most of the local participants in the conference saw Taiwan as limited to a passive role in its relations with the PRC. Director Young, however, underscored in his luncheon presentation that the warming of cross-Strait ties will open opportunities for Taiwan to influence the PRC to develop in positive directions. Taiwan's successful TAIPEI 00000416 003 OF 003 democratization is a special strength that should give the Taiwan people confidence to shape the future cross-Strait relationship. he suggested, adding that the U.S. supports dialogue and the improvement of cross-Strait relations. The Director also emphasized that long-term U.S. support for Taiwan, based on the TRA, will continue. Comment -------------- ¶12. (SBU) At a minimum, the pro-Green scholars want to preserve Taiwan's current de facto autonomy, but they worry the Ma administration may take irreversible steps in developing closer relations with China that will increasingly constrain Taiwan's options. The Ma administration argues that Taiwan must enhance cross-Strait relations for economic reasons, but insists its moves will not compromise Taiwan's interests. KMT scholars will have another opportunity to present their side of the argument when they participate in an upcoming TRA conference on April 12. YOUNG